The Uninvited (2009)
Not a remake of the classic 1944 British film of the same name but actually a reimagining of Jee-woon Kim's Korean 2003 masterpiece A Tale of Two Sisters. A film i consider my favourite Asian ghost story. Indeed my favourite Asian film along with the breathtakingly brilliant 2005 mob thriller A Bittersweet Life.
Now despite me saying it's my favourite Asian horror it's a film i've only seen twice. The last time around 2005 i think. The reason being is i feel with ghost stories familiarity definitely does breed contempt especially when you know whats coming and where the shocks are in a film of this nature. It was with some trepidation that i finally decided to give The Uninvited a go. I'm not a fan of modern ghost stories at the best of times. Today's film makers don't seem to know whats creepy or scary or indeed have any idea about things that go bump in the night unless it's a full orchestra under the bed ready to strike up at any moment as a lazy jump scare. So a remake of a personal fave by modern Hollywood film makers...it was always going to be rubbish.
Except it isn't.
The Uninvited is a rather tasty little chiller. It has a fine cast in Emily Browning, Arielle Kebble and Elizabeth Banks who play their parts well and most importantly don't go overboard with the histrionics and just as importantly it's nicely and subtly directed by Charles and Thomas Guard who seem to have some idea how ghost stories work, as in less is more. In fact at times this feels more of a family drama / psycho horror along the lines of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, meaning when the ghostliness happens it is often unexpected and therefore works better. The film also worked because i'd forgotten exactly how the original film played out at the end (Ten years is a long time between viewings even with personal favourites) so i was genuinely surprised by the pay off, which certainly worked in the films favour. The tension builds slowly but becomes frenetic around the hour mark and by the end credits i found i'd thoroughly enjoyed this gripping psychological ghost story.
I do think i can recommend The Uninvited ,unlike Insidious and such like. Obviously i'd say go for A Tale of Two Sisters in the first place but if you'd prefer a Hollywood horror then this might be up your street.
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